The owners took the kittens (pictured with mum Peach) to the vets where they were kept in overnight

“Thankfully, within a few seconds she managed to turn the machine off and yanked the door open and grabbed them out. They literally came within a whisker of death.’’ Gemma Lawton, of Avonvale Vets in Warwick, gave the kittens oxygen treatment and kept them overnight.

She advised all pet owners to check their laundry baskets before loading clothes into washing machines and tumble dryers.

She added: “These lovely kittens were very lucky but it could easily have been a different story.”

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